Though it is a few days late, we wanted to bring you Fr. Benedict Hughes' sermon for the historical feast of Our Lady of Prompt Succor. Today being a Votive Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturday for the CMRI, it is most appropriate to bring you the story of Our Lady of Prompt Succor. Few realize this is an American feast resulting from the determination of a Sister Marie Michele, a French Ursuline nun on fire for saving souls, so much so that she petitioned her superior to establish a mission in America and was told only if she received the Holy Father's personal permission. This in itself would have to be a miracle since His Holiness Pope Pius VII was, at the time, a prisoner of Napoleon Bonapart. Through our Lady's intercession the Pope gave prompt permission and shortly after arriving in New Orleans a fire broke out and threatened to torch the entire city. Sister and her fellow nuns implored the Blessed Mother and immediately the fire died out, miraculously, of course. Later on at the famous Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812 (of which we include those memorable lyrics by Johnny Horton below), it was "Old Hickory" General Jackson who attributed the victory to the nuns' prayers for intercession from Heaven. Though a non-Catholic, he realized that Our Lady of Prompt Succor had heard their prayers and helped his ratatat band of men drive the Brits down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. The feast is the Octave Day of the signing of the British surrender on January 8, 1815. Mary is venerated today under that title in America as Our Lady of Prompt Succor. As Fr. Hughes assures, "if we pray as we should, then she always promptly comes to our aid."

As these pages load, we invite you to say as many Hail Mary's as necessary. You can click on the Rosary button to the left as well. We pray you will be imbued by the truths of the authentic Catholic Faith we provide here and yearn to learn more of the infrangible truths of the only Church founded by Jesus Christ.

Today is the 1,035th anniversary of the election of Pope Benedict VI in 973. This Roman-born 134th successor of Peter is known for converting Hungary. He would have made more inroads into other countries but was captured in a bloody siege by the Antigerman faction after the death of the Roman Emperor Otto I. They imprisoned Benedict in Castel Sant'Angelo where he was martyred in June 974. He could have compromised and kept his life, but true to his Catholic ideals, we would not cave, would not deviate one iota from his commitment to the Faith and his Lord and Savior. As we can see, a far cry from his namesake only (not in the true succession of Peter) but in taking the name of Benedict ten Benedicts later. Of course, there was another Benedict who betrayed as well: Benedict Arnold. That type of treachery can never be attributed to the martyred Pope Benedict VI.

There are still some who are under the impression that the Week for Christian Unity, which lasts from yesterday's Feast of the Double Major Feast of St. Peter's Chair at Rome until the Double Major Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul next Friday, January 25th, is a concoction of the Vatican II church. Au contraire, for it had been in vogue prior to Vatican II for true ecumenism - conversion, if you will and the antiphon prayer below illustrates this because it definitely does not call for dialogue but rather conversion to the True Faith by those outside the Faith. And, as we all know from the thrice-proclaimed dogma Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus, Outside the Church there is No Salvation!

The daily prayer for true Church Unity is also for the restoration of Traditional Catholicism throughout the world. Let us also pray that God will hear our prayer, allow the conciliar VulgArians to implode and purge Rome of the interlopers and robber barons and, through His ordaining will, give us a truly Catholic Pope once again along with true shepherds to replace all the false ones who are nothing but Masonic potentates leading the sheep astray. Whatever happened to Christ's words to Peter in St. John 21: 15-17? Alas, the only true shepherds feeding the sheep are the traditional ones who give not one concession to the counterfeit church of conciliarism. We pray God will end The Great Apostasy and wake hearts and souls to the destruction and heresies that have not only been permeated over nearly half a century, but also have produced no fruits whatsoever, confirming our Lord's words in St. Matthew 7: 15-20 that the conciliar church is a bad tree that must be cast into the fire. The sooner the better!

PRAYER FOR THE CHURCH UNITY OCTAVE (Official Octave Prayer)

ANTIPHON: "That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in Me and I in Thee; that they also may be one in Us; that the world may believe that Thou has sent Me." (John 17: 21)

V. I say unto thee that thou art PeterR.And upon this Rock I will build My Church.

Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, Who saidst unto Thine Apostles: Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you; regard not our sins, but the faith of Thy Church, and vouchsafe to grant unto Her that peace and unity which are agreeable to Thy Will. Who livest and reignest God forever and ever. Amen.

An indulgence of 300 days during the octave of prayers for the unity of the Church, from the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter in Rome to the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. A Plenary Indulgence on the usual conditions at the end of the devout exercise.

OTHER PRAYERS

Almighty and everlasting God, Whose will it is that all men should be saved and that none should perish, look upon the souls that are deceived by the guile of satan, in order that the hearts of them that have gone astray may put aside all the perverseness of heresy, and, being truly repentant, may return to the unity of Thy truth. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

From the ROMAN MISSAL. An indulgence of 3 years.

PRAYER OF POPE SAINT PIUS XLord Jesus, merciful Savior of the world, we humbly beseech Thee by Thy Most Sacred Heart, that all the straying sheep may turn unto Thee, the Shepherd and Bishop of their souls: Who livest and reignest world without end. Amen

An indulgence of 500 days. Rescript in His Holiness own hand October 26, 1905, S.P. Ap., June 5, 1933

To stand by silently when the Truth is muted or toyed with and not to oppose error vigorously is to give in and, as St. Paul warns in 2 Thessalonians 2: 10-11, "to believe a lie that all may be judged, who have not believed the truth, but have consented to iniquity." This includes those Traditionalists who have taken a "hands off" on Ratzinger once he became "Benedict XVI". He's still the same heretic he was before, if not moreso, and, thanks to his Motu Mess, deceiving even more souls while former stalwart Traditional voices remain mum

In tune with the Week of Unity Octave in focusing our prayers, penances and mortifications for the conversion of non-Catholics to the True Faith, the target, as Dr. Thomas A. Droleskey identifies all so clearly, is made larger by the vast number of conciliarists who, known or unknown to them, have deviated from the True Faith. He writes, "Truth be told, you see, Modernity, represented so well by Americanism in the United States of America, and Modernism, exemplified so well by the counterfeit church of conciliarism, each is an attack upon the whole notion of truth. One seeks to convince man that he can chart his own course in the civil realm without the direction of the true Church and without her sanctifying offices, that there is no ultimate repository and arbiter of truth. The other seeks to render truth into such an absurdity that it can contradict itself or appear to take a different meaning in one time than other, a thoroughly anathematized proposition. The result in both instances is disorder in souls and in the world." While the counterfeit church of conciliarism postures during this week in transposing conversion into ecumenism with still another slap in Christ's face, we must have an intense love for our neighbor, so much so that we will have an even more intense hatred for the heresy he holds in order to fight to save his soul. After all, that's our job on earth, no matter our role in life, salvation of souls is paramount and there is only one vehicle provided by God for this: The one and only Church Christ founded upon the Rock of Peter. Tom reiterates this truth in Truth be Told, It's All About Truth

The Supreme Moment that All Civilization had waited for has arrived. Puer natus est. Venite adoremus.

Continuing our theme of bringing back John Gregory's meditations on the Holy Rosary in updated files in preparation for Lent, we continue the Joyful Mysteries up until Lent. Today he arrives at the great Mystery of Christ's incarnation - the Nativity of the promised Messiah. John provides insight from various reliable sources to enhance the meditation on the Third Joyful Mystery and better prepare ourselves for the Holy Night while giving all a greater appreciation of Mary's role in salvation and how, through the Nativity of her Divine Son, and in cooperation with the chosen Joseph, She cooperated with God's call to bear all things in love, silence and obedience to God in all things for His greater honor and glory. John shares the meditation of The Third Joyful Mystery: The Nativity of our Lord.

Unity has nothing to do with diversity and tolerance. Unity means adhering to the will of God. Ergo, Exit Ecumenism Stage Left for thou art anathema sit!

We bring you a redux of Gabriel Garnica's excellent series on Church Unity. He begins by peeling away the onion of the New Order. Today he hits at the core of the bitter fruit of Ecumenism. He shows where 'unity' under the hollow words of 'justice and peace' and the caving of Rome to depend on other religions - and organizations such as the UN, satanic no less - to provide what only Christ's True Church is authorized to render for God's people is not the answer for peace among men. You'll see such action in full force this coming April when BeneRatz' publicity tour will take him to D.C. and New York and the UN to whom the counterfeit church of conciliarism is beholden. Despite so-called Catholic organizations whose novelties and heresies are lauded by the highest echelons of Rome where the conciliar leader then called both Assisi ecumaniacal summits and gave his full 'silent consent' to the outrageous fiddle-faddle church at Fatima and for Padre Pio and countless other aberrations documented over the years on these pages, the charade continues as Modern Rome delves deeper into the abyss, the latest an ecumenical chapel in St. Paul's Basilica. These heretical actions are manifest everywhere, cleverly couched in tolerance and ecumenism. The fact is ecumenism is a rejection of the One True Church and a pact with the devil as Gabriel points out in his column Modern Ecumenism's Unity - The False Religion of The New Order .

Revisiting the Visitation in discovering what we can do to help others for God

Continuing our theme of bringing back John Gregory's meditations on the Holy Rosary in updated files in preparation for Lent, we return to the Joyful Mysteries and today the Visitation where Our Lady dismissed all concerns for herself to minister to others, most notably her cousin St. Elizabeth who was further along in her pregnancy than Mary. Elizabeth recognized in Mary God's design for her younger cousin as did the babe in her womb - Saint John the Baptist who, though not conceived free of Original Sin was sanctified at the presence of the Babe in Mary's womb - the fetus of the God-Man. In this time when man's uncharity towards his fellow man is legend, we need to refocus on the intention for the Second Joyful Mystery - charity towards our neighbor out of our love for God. This charity is not reserved only for a select few, but all we meet. This charity is not about doing only humane things for others, but going well beyond that in doing all we can to do all in our power to see that our neighbor will save his eternal soul. This means charitably rebuking, correcting and admonishing if our neighbor has veered from the path God intended, and that means knowing our Faith so others will know it and convert. That's the greatest charity we can do for others because we do not want to see them condemned. That's what can happen as Jesus so clearly told us in St. Matthew 28: 20 and St. Mark 16: 16. John shares the meditation of The Second Joyful Mystery: The Visitation.

If anyone might have been discouraged it would have been St. Therese, but because she loved God so, she didn't panic and took every moment one step at a time in her little way, and overcame every obstacle, offering it all to God. What better example to emulate in preparation for Lent?

As we near the Time of Septuagesima, Cyndi Cain provides a role model we can all follow in our preparation for Lent and as a boost to renew those new year's resolutions that so quickly fade when push comes to shove because, often, we set out to do too much and can so easily get discouraged. But if we trust in God and place all in His care and offer all our sufferings, discomforts and setbacks for Him as Saint Therese of the Child Jesus did, then we can be encouraged that it can be done. Cyndi reminds us to take consolation in the fact that it is not our successes that God judges, but our efforts. He knows what is in our hearts. Whatever cocoon God so chooses to place us in as His Catholic caterpillars in digging in for the Faith, we can be encouraged by the manner in which St. Therese handled the "little things" that so please God. We need to know that doing as she did will build up dividends in Heaven so that when it is our time to shed the cocoon of our mortal bodies, He will lift us up just as He did the humble little saint of Lisieux: a beautiful butterfly who continually flutters in our hearts and stirs souls to seek the divine Will. What better time to begin the "caterpillar contemplative crawl" than Lent when we place prayer, penance and self-denial at the forefront? Cyndi shares in lesson, It's the Little Way that Leads to Holiness

Beware: Political campaigns are crafted in corruption, by corruption and for corruption. Do you really want to be party to those parties? Previous reliable true Popes point out why your vote would only enable satan more.

As we hear the same refrain with familiar buzz words from the plethora of politicians, we need to realize the rest of the story, the very fact that Republicans and Democrats and all those in between are joined at the hip where they can't get out of bed without the other. Dr. Thomas A. Droleskey, one of the foremost experts in Catholicity as well as poltical science, documents how it goes back well before Nixon for that is where those in power today first practiced their deadly arts - from the Nixon Cabinet to the Clinton Cabinet to today's Bush's Cabinet and those who would be president from New York as in mayor or senator by way of Chicago by way of Arkansas or in the reincarnation of "the Jihad in our midst" with El Barack Hussein Obama as in Osama. It is a classic case of the tail wagging the dog and if you're going to vote for a candidate this year, then you had better know who and what you are voting for so that you can stand before your Supreme Creator and acknowledge that you did indeed know what you were doing: enabling those who are enemies of His Church and His Kingship to gain greater power for your temporal and spiritual demise. Corruption is not limited to just the conciliar church but also to the political process in this country that reaches all three branches of the Government. Beware or rue the fact that how you vote can influence your safety and your salvation. In citing previous reliable Catholic pronouncements by true Popes, Tom strives to set Catholics right before they do a terrible wrong in his essay, They Never Take Any Prisoners

Remembering January's Church Triumphant on the Ides of January

In this month where we go from Christmastide to Epiphany to the Time After Epiphany right into the Time of Septuagesima, there are several saints who could easily be lost in the shuffle of the seasons. Therefore, on this ides of January we provide a compendium of the January Saints for each day of the month for a little extra devotional prayer to add to your daily Rosary. Several of these saints are little-known and often are not, for that reason, invoked in our prayers. Need some impetus to prepare for Lent now just two weeks away? If you add this short litany to your daily Rosary, you will have the benefit of invoking the prayers of some of these lesser-known saints for January and, as the Three Kings bowed in humility, better prepare yourself to keep your spiritual resolutions for 2008. Litany of the January Saints

Forget Hillary, you can never go wrong with Hilary, St. Hilary that is, the esteemed Doctor of the Church.

Today we celebrate the first Doctor of the Church in the calendar year. This holy Bishop and Doctor of the Church Saint Hilary of Poitiers was another from the fourth century who, like the three great Doctors - St. Athanasius, St. Ephrem and St. Cyril of Jerusalem - who proceeded him. Unlike the one whose name sounds so similar, there are no similarities to the character of St. Hilary with Hillary Clinton. The former is a saint, the latter...well, you fill in the blanks, but keep it clean. Back to the true Hilary. He was both greatly persecuted by the Arians and ostracized by many within the Church because of false information. Hmm, sound familiar? Every Traditional Catholic can relate to that. This first Doctor, of what is today France - eldest Daughter of the Church - was known for his great labors in the fields of God from Gaul to Ilyria. Born the same year as his colleague Doctor and Bishop of Jerusalem St. Cyril, he labored tirelessly for the True Faith and is appropriately known as
Laborer for God

Helpful Hints for Husbands and Wives and everyone in the Family

As a special treat for this Feast of the Holy Family, we bring you inspiration from the late Father James F. Wathen, pioneering traditional author of The Great Sacrilege who passed away November 6, 2006. This piece was first published here three years ago and to show the measure of the man, though he was dying of cancer, he left us these priceless gems of wisdom for husbands and wives, for young men and women in the single life, and for children as well. In each, he provides solid Catholicity of how each must respond in order to have their state in life blessed and become fruitful in the eyes of God, and then in the eyes of the world which, as he points out, is often a paradox for living as a true Catholic is a contradiction to the world. His encouraging words give hope that more will take his solid advice and apply it to their lives so that a generation of true Catholics can be generated for tomorrow. That is his gift for the feast of the holiest of families, Jesus' Own in Nazareth with Mary and Joseph, titled, Thoughts to sustain Catholic Families

Nothing can shake family bond if all are united with God

In honor of the Double Major Feast of the Holy Family, we bring you Father Louis Campbell's sermon from three years ago in which he points out the importance of "home" and equates the devastation of the most recent disastrous tsunami in the Indian Ocean ravaging Southeast Asia with the loss of home, hearth and heartland. But if one is anchored in the home of God, guided by the example and intercession of the Holy Family, then even the worst earthquakes, tsunamis, floods or fires or worse can shake us from realizing our spiritual home which is Heaven. Our life on this fragile planet earth is but a drop of water compared to the unending ocean of eternity that will be like the calmest of seas for us forever in one of the Almighty's many mansions in Heaven. Conversely, if we place our emphasis on that drop of water more than the everlasting sea of eternity, then the tsunamis of hell will erupt and cascade down on us, crushing us under satan's hardened mantle of madness. While humanistic assistance is vital in these desperate times for our neighbors who are made in the image and likeness of Christ, it cannot be the end all and be all; and, in these times when society and the conciliar church give more credence to the material and modern than spiritual and ancient, there will be consequences for Our Lord has assured this in Scripture as Father explains in his sermon "Though the earth be shaken"

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Charismatic Cacophony Disgraced charismatic pied-piper and founder of Life Teen ministries Phoenix's Msgr. Fushek following in Matthew Fox's footsteps by going non-denominational and new age. More evidence of the implosion of the conciliar church.